Jessica Proett (Staff Writer and Researcher) is a published travel writer, poet, and a regular contributor to the Levantine Review. Whereas her most recent areas of interest are religion and international politics, she studied literature and history at Colorado State University, with a specialty in creative writing and a minor in history. She has also studied at St. Petersburg State University in Russia and at Pablo de Olavide University in Spain. Additionally, she has lived in Spain as a translator, tour guide, travel writer and English teacher, and has traveled to Morocco, Portugal, England, Finland, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. Her devotion to cross-cultural understanding and desire to further comprehend the complex issues in the Middle East have led her to the Levantine Cultural Center.